Invest Time to Build Trust

Rock climbers put their lives in each other’s hands. They do this because they have a deep trust and respect for their climbing partner’s skills and reliability. Developing trust in a climbing partner takes time, as each person must learn the other’s communication style, abilities, and climbing strategies.

Like the cultivated partnership between rock climbers, members of a team also need to invest time and effort gaining each other’s trust while collaborating on common goals.

When working on diverse teams, developing trust may take longer due to background differences and different views on what trust means and how it is earned.

Building confidence helps to resolve communication issues that may impede team progress. A trusting team will be able to function as a cohesive unit when critical decisions have to be made.

Here are a few questions you can ask at your next team meeting:

What keeps us from trusting each other?

How can differences in culture, backgrounds, or life choices impact our ability to develop trust with each other?

What do you need to hear, see, feel, or know before you can trust someone?

What can we do to develop more trust together as a team?

Note: In today’s work environment, finding ways to stop and explore teamwork issues is not easy.
Investing 10-15 minutes in a conversation will provide a quick and easy way for teams to work more effectively together.